The present invention relates to a stretcher such as a wheeled stretcher for use in a hospital, and particularly to stretcher controls for the stretcher. More particularly the present invention relates to such a hospital stretcher having stowable push handles, a deployable center wheel to aid in steering the stretcher, foot pedals for tilting and controlling the height of a patient-support deck, and a shroud defining a storage surface underneath the patient-support deck.
Many hospital stretchers include a patient-support deck having a patient-support surface that can be moved upwardly and downwardly and tilted to both a Trendelenburg position having a head end of the patient-support surface lower than a foot end of the patient- support surface and a reverse Trendelenburg position having the head end of the patient-support surface higher than the foot end of the patient-support surface. Hospital stretchers often have foot pedals that a caregiver can engage to adjust the position of the patient-support surface. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,808 to Hines; U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,242 to Schrager; U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,783 to Pioth; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,116 to Stryker. Each of these references discloses a stretcher having at least one foot pedal that is used to control the movement of the patient-support surface.
Some conventional stretchers have two foot pedals positioned to lie close together for controlling movement of the patient-support surface. For example, U.S. Patent No. 4,723,808 to Hines discloses a stretcher in which the head end of the patient-support surface is raised by pumping one pedal and the foot end of the patient-support surface is raised by pumping the other pedal. Both ends of the patient-support surface can be raised together by pumping both pedals simultaneously. Each end of the patient-support surface can bc lowered separately by pressing the corresponding pedal to the bottom of its stroke and both ends can be lowered together by pressing both pedals to the bottom of their stroke simultaneously.
Conventional hospital stretchers may also include casters that rotate and swivel as well as a center wheel that can be deployed to contact a floor surface over which the stretcher is being pushed. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,326 to Fullenkamp et al. which is assigned to the assignec of the present invention, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,625 to Bleicher; U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,355 to Eaton et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,116 to Stryker; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,599,717 to Menzies. The center wheel is typically free to rotate but is constrained from swiveling in order to facilitate turning the stretcher around corners.
Additionally, some stretchers have center wheels that are yieldably biased downwardly against the floor to permit the center wheel to track differences in elevation of the floor.
Stretchers can also be provided with a shroud that is located underneath the patient-support deck and that provides a top surface on which objects can be carried. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,625 to Bleicher. However, the size of the shroud top surface of conventional stretchers having mechanisms operated by foot pedals is typically limited so that a caregiver has access to the foot pedals.
Finally, some conventional stretchers have push handles mounted to an end of an upper frame of the stretcher that can be conveniently gripped by a caregiver moving the stretcher. Push handles that are pivotable between a use position when the caregiver moves the stretcher and a downward storage position are known as well. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,294 to Reeder, which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,465 to Stryker et al. Stretchers having a pair of push handles mounted at the head end of the stretcher and pivotable about a pivot axis extending in a direction parallel to the sides of the stretcher are known in the art. Stretchers having pivotable push handles can also include mechanisms for locking the push handles in the push position.
What is desired is a stretcher having push handles that are movable to a push position extending above the patient-support surface and swingable from the push position to a down-out-of-the-way position below the patient-support deck providing a caregiver with improved access to a patient. The stretcher could include a push handle assembly having a latch mechanism underneath the upper frame of the stretcher for locking the push handles in the push position. In addition, caregivers would welcome such a stretcher having a single foot pedal that controls both the deployable center wheel mechanism and the caster braking mechanism as well as a single foot pedal for simultaneously lowering the two ends of the patient-support deck. Finally, the stretcher could include a shroud having a large storage surface underneath the patient-support deck for carrying articles belonging to the patient, medical equipment, or other articles conveniently stored beneath the patient-support deck while also allowing access to the foot pedals positioned beneath the storage surface.
According to the present invention, a stretcher is provided for transporting a patient. The stretcher includes an elongated frame having an upper frame and a lower frame, a plurality of casters mounted to the lower frame, and a patient-support deck supported by the upper frame. The patient-support deck includes a head end, a foot end, two elongated sides, and an upwardly-facing patient-support surface therebetween. A push bar including a handle post that can be gripped by a caregiver when the caregiver pushes the stretcher is pivotably mounted to the upper frame to pivot about a pivot axis. The push bar can pivot between a push position having the handle post extending above the patient-support surface and a down-out-of-the-way position having a portion of the push bar located underneath the upper frame.
In preferred embodiments, the stretcher includes a push bar that swings between a push position above the head end of the patient-support surface and a down-out-of-the-way position away from the patient-support surface and having a portion of the push bar underneath the patient-support deck. The push bar swings about an angled pivot axis positioned to lie near an elongated first side of the patient-support deck. The angled pivot axis is preferably positioned to lie in a transversely extending plane and preferably angles downwardly away from the center of the stretcher. A second push bar can also be pivotably mounted to the patient-support deck near an elongated second side of the patient-support deck, thus providing a pair of opposing push bars that a caregiver can grip while pushing the stretcher.
The stretcher can be provided with first and second latch plates, each of which engages one of the first and second push bars to lock each respective push bar in the push position. Each latch plate is mounted to the stretcher underneath the upper frame and independently pivots about a pivot axis between a lock position and a release position. Each latch plate includes an edge defining an opening receiving the push bar when the push bar is in the push position and the latch plate is in the lock position, the edge including a locking edge engaging the push bar to lock the push bar in the push position. If desired, the latch plate can be pivoted to a release position away from the push bar and releasing the push bar so that the push bar can swing between the push position and the down-out-of-the-way position.
Each latch plate can also include a cam edge arranged so that the latch plate pivots to the release position when the cam edge is subjected to a contact force.
For example, each latch plate will pivot to its release position upon contact with its respective push bar when the push bar swings from the down-out-of-the-way position to the push position. Once the push bar reaches the push position, the opening in the latch plate is aligned with the push bar and the latch plate automatically swings under the force of gravity to the lock position so that the locking edge engages the push bar, locking the push bar in the push position.
The preferred stretcher also includes a brake-steer butterfly pedal which operates a caster-braking mechanism. The caster-braking mechanism can be moved to a brake position to prevent movement of the stretcher by braking the rotation and swivelling movement of the caster wheels. The caster-braking mechanism can be moved from the brake position to a steer position allowing free movement of the stretcher by permitting rotation and swivelling movement of the caster wheels. A center wheel can be mounted to the stretcher to assist the steering of the stretcher and can be coupled to the brake-steer pedal. The center wheel can be lowered to engage the floor when the brake-steer pedal is moved to the steer position so that the center wheel is deployed and in contact with the floor when the casters are rotating and swivelling. This contact between the center wheel and the floor provides a frictional contact area about which the stretcher can be easily turned.
In addition, the center wheel can be raised off of the floor when the brake-steer pedal is in the brake position so that equipment, such as the base of an overbed table, easily fits under the stretcher. The brake-steer pedal can also be moved to a neutral position at which the casters are free to rotate and swivel and having the center wheel moved to an intermediate position spaced apart from the floor.
The brake-steer pedal is connected to a shaft that extends longitudinally along the length of the stretcher. As the brake-steer pedal is moved between the brake, neutral, and steer positions, the shaft rotates. A linkage assembly connects the shaft to the center wheel. When the brake-steer pedal moves to the brake position, the shaft rotates in a first direction causing the linkage assembly to raise the center wheel off of the floor. When the brake-steer pedal moves to the steer position, the shaft rotates in a second direction causing the linkage assembly to lower the center wheel into contact with the floor.
The stretcher can also include a "single pedal-dual release mechanism" extending outwardly from an elongated side of the stretcher and mounted to a lower frame of the stretcher. The single pedal-dual release mechanism can be used to lower and tilt the patient-support deck. The single pedal-dual release mechanism includes first, second, and third foot pedals, each of which includes an upwardly-facing foot-engaging surface. Depressing the foot-engaging surface of the first foot pedal lowers the head end of the patient-support surface. Likewise, depressing the foot-engaging surface of the second foot pedal lowers the foot end of the patient-support surface. Depressing the foot-engaging surface of the third foot pedal lowers both the head end and the foot end of the patient-support surface simultaneously.
The preferred stretcher is additionally furnished with a shroud that is carried by the lower frame and that is positioned to lie underneath the patient-support deck. The shroud has a generally upwardly-facing top surface that extends over the first, second, and third pedals and that is formed to include a storage pan. Objects and equipment can be stored and carried by the storage pan.
The shroud also includes a peripheral skirt that projects generally downwardly from a perimeter of the top surface. The skirt defines contoured cavities under the top surface of the shroud and below which portions of the foot-engaging surfaces of the first, second, and third foot pedals are exposed, providing the caregiver with access to the foot-engaging surfaces so that the caregiver can operate the first, second, and third foot pedals when the shroud is installed on the lower frame of the stretcher. Forming the skirt to include the cavities allows for maximizing the size of the storage pan by allowing the storage pan to extend over the foot-engaging surfaces of the pedals while also providing the caregiver with access to the first, second, and third pedals.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a stretcher for transporting a patient along a floor. The stretcher includes an elongated frame, a patient-support deck carried by the frame, and an elongated shaft having a longitudinally-extending axis of rotation. The shaft is coupled to the frame for rotation about the axis of rotation between a first orientation and a second orientation. A wheel is coupled to the shaft for movement relative to the frame between a first position engaging the floor when the shaft is in the first orientation and a second position spaced apart from the floor when the shaft is in the second orientation.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a stretcher for supporting a patient. The stretcher includes an elongated frame having an upper frame and a lower frame having a head end, a foot end, and a first and second elongated side. Drive means are coupled to the upper frame and to the lower frame for supporting the upper frame above the lower frame and for vertically positioning the upper frame relative to the lower frame between an upward raised position and a downward lowered position.
A first pedal including a first foot-engaging surface is pivotably coupled to the first elongated side of the lower frame and extends outwardly therefrom for movement between a lock position and a release position. The first pedal is coupled to the drive means so that the head end of the upper frame moves when the first pedal is moved to the release position. A second pedal including a second foot-engaging surface is pivotably coupled to the first elongated side of the lower frame and extends outwardly therefrom for movement between a lock position and a release position. The second pedal is coupled to the drive means so that the foot end of the upper frame moves when the second pedal is moved to the release position.
A third pedal including a third foot-engaging surface is pivotably coupled to the first elongated side of the lower frame and extends outwardly therefrom for movement between a lock position and a release position. The third pedal is coupled to the drive means so that the head end and the foot end of the upper frame move at generally the same time when the third pedal is moved to the release position. The third foot-engaging surface is spaced apart from and elevated above the first and second foot-engaging surfaces so that a caregiver can engage the third foot-engaging surface without engaging the first and second foot-engaging surfaces.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a stretcher for supporting a patient. The stretcher includes a lower frame, an upper frame and drive means coupled to the upper frame and to the lower frame for supporting the upper frame above the lower frame for upward and downward movement relative to the lower frame between an upward raised position and a downward lowered position. A pedal including a generally upwardly-facing foot-engaging surface is coupled to the drive means so that movement of the pedal controls movement of the upper frame relative to the lower frame. A shroud is carried by the lower frame and includes a generally horizontal top wall having a perimetral edge and the pedal and the shroud are arranged having the perimetral edge positioned to lie over the foot-engaging surface so that the top wall of the shroud hangs over the foot-engaging surface of the pedal.
Thus, an improved hospital stretcher is provided having first and second push bars that can be stored below the patient-support deck and underneath the upper frame and that can be individually pivoted upwardly and locked into push positions extending over the patient-support deck by latch plates. The stretcher is also provided with a longitudinally extending brake-steer shaft that controls the caster-braking mechanism and that also controls the mechanism that deploys the center wheel. The brake-steer shaft is rotated by the brake-steer pedal to manipulate the brake-steer mechanism between neutral, brake, and steer positions and to deploy the center wheel into engagement with the floor when the brake-steer mechanism is in the steer position.
The stretcher further includes a single pedal-dual hydraulic release mechanism that extends outwardly from an elongated side of the stretcher and that allows a caregiver to separately lower the head and foot ends of the patient-support surface or to lower the head and foot ends simultaneously by pressing a single pedal. Finally, the stretcher includes a shroud that maximizes the storage area beneath the patient-support surface by having a top surface that extends above foot pedals that are coupled to the frame and by having a peripheral skirt that defines cavities exposing foot-engaging surfaces of the pedals so that the caregiver can operate the foot pedals when the shroud is installed.
Additional objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.